Westward Ho! Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen ElizabethKingsley, Charles
History
Westward Ho! Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Kingsley, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction
Whereon Don Guzman broke out jubilant, like nightingale on bough, with
story, and jest, and repartee; and became forthwith the soul of the
whole company, and the most charming of all cavaliers. And poor Rose
knew that she was the cause of his sudden change of mood, and blamed
herself for what she had done, and shuddered and blushed at her own
delight, and longed that the feast was over, that she might hurry home
and hide herself alone with sweet fancies about a love the reality of
which she felt she dared not face.
It was a beautiful sight, the great terrace at Annery that afternoon;
with the smart dames in their gaudy dresses parading up and down in twos
and threes before the stately house; or looking down upon the park, with
the old oaks, and the deer, and the broad land-locked river spread out
like a lake beneath, all bright in the glare of the midsummer sun; or
listening obsequiously to the two great ladies who did the honors, Mrs.
St. Leger the hostess, and her sister-in-law, fair Lady Grenville. All
chatted, and laughed, and eyed each other's dresses, and gossiped about
each other's husbands and servants: only Rose Salterne kept apart, and
longed to get into a corner and laugh or cry, she knew not which.
“Our pretty Rose seems sad,” said Lady Grenville, coming up to her.
“Cheer up, child! we want you to come and sing to us.”
Rose answered she knew not what, and obeyed mechanically.
She took the lute, and sat down on a bench beneath the house, while the
rest grouped themselves round her.
“What shall I sing?”
“Let us have your old song, 'Earl Haldan's Daughter.'”
Rose shrank from it. It was a loud and dashing ballad, which chimed in
but little with her thoughts; and Frank had praised it too, in happier
days long since gone by. She thought of him, and of others, and of her
pride and carelessness; and the song seemed ominous to her: and yet for
that very reason she dared not refuse to sing it, for fear of suspicion
where no one suspected; and so she began per force--
I.
“It was Earl Haldan's daughter, She look'd across the sea; She look'd
across the water, And long and loud laugh'd she; 'The locks of six
princesses Must be my marriage-fee, So hey bonny boat, and ho bonny
boat! Who comes a wooing me?'
II.
“It was Earl Haldan's daughter, She walk'd along the sand; When she was
aware of a knight so fair, Come sailing to the land. His sails were all
of velvet, His mast of beaten gold, And 'hey bonny boat, and ho bonny
boat, Who saileth here so bold?'
III.
“'The locks of five princesses I won beyond the sea; I shore their
golden tresses, To fringe a cloak for thee. One handful yet is wanting,
But one of all the tale; So hey bonny boat, and ho bonny boat! Furl up
thy velvet sail!'
IV.
“He leapt into the water, That rover young and bold; He gript Earl
Haldan's daughter, He shore her locks of gold; 'Go weep, go weep, proud
maiden, The tale is full to-day. Now hey bonny boat, and ho bonny boat!
Sail Westward-ho, and away!'”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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